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Food Food & Drink

Weekend eating: March 3-4

Saturday

Hopgood’s Foodliner

325 Roncesvalles, at Grenadier, 416-533-2723, hopgoodsfoodliner.com. Don’t come to former Hoof Café chef Geoff Hopgood’s ultra-hip Foodliner expecting bone-marrow donuts and suckling-pig eggs Benny.Not only does his Roncey resto not offer the two dishes that put him on the foodie map, but he doesn’t do brunch at all. Instead, go for some of most creative and downright fun plates in town in a relaxed room tended by attentive servers. Best: to start, Halifax-style donairs on warm house-baked pitas dressed with ripe tomato, diced Vidalia onions and a weirdly addictive sauce made from evaporated milk, sugar, garlic and vinegar lamb’s heart tartare laced with green olives and dehydrated cauliflower purée over nutty caramelized cream a winter cassoulet of French flageots beans thick with meaty sweetbreads and sage-scented sausages deep-fried chicken roulade or cheesy grits in bacon-maple sauce to finish, frozen house-made chocolate bars. Complete dinners for $60 per person, including tax tip and a glass of wine. Average main $22. Open for dinner Saturday 6 to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

Pizzeria Libretto

550 Danforth, at Carlaw, 416-466-0400, pizzerialibretto.com. Not only is the second outpost of downtown’s favourite pizza parlour twice as big as the original, but the Greektown annex takes reservations, something they’ve never done on Ossington. The pace is much more relaxed, too, with servers more interested in pleasing customers than in getting them in and out as quickly as possible. The most exciting thing to hit the Danforth since flaming cheese! Also: 221 Ossington, at Dundas W, 416-532-8000. Best: to start, carafes of house-carbonated water and baskets of chewy Thuet baguette dipped in fiery chili oil salads like organic greens in white balsamic vinaigrette tossed with halved fresh figs, bosc pear and raw blue cheese pastas like house-made ravioli stuffed with sweet Dungeness crab in dazzling sea urchin cream thin-crusted certified Neapolitan pies brushed with family-recipe San Marzano tomato sauce and dressed with crumbled Gorgonzola, roasted red pepper and see-through ribbons of speck (the Papa Luigi) smoky pork belly in sauce with bomba chili peppers and Ontario mozzarella di bufala to finish, goat cheese pannacotta with blood orange syrup and frozen grapes. Complete dinners for $40 per person (lunches $30), including tax, tip and a glass of vino. Average main $15. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to midnight. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

Torito

276 Augusta, at College, 416-961-7373, toritorestaurant.com. With owners whose CVs include respected names like Latitude and Xango, is it any wonder that this informal Kensington Market tapas bar is packed to the rafters every night? An intoxicating Iberian card of truly shareable plates, mood lighting and engaging servers add up to one of downtown’s most romantic evenings. Best: merguez sausage over wild mushrooms ‘n’ lentils chewy Chilean tripe stew with chickpeas and Manchego cheese smoked trout over new potatoes daubed with creamy avocado mayo beef tongue ‘n’ cheeks slow-braised in cookbook-correct mirepoix pomegranate-glazed quail over sweet calabaza pumpkin mash grilled shrimp al ajillo drenched in butter and garlic to finish, fresh figs drizzled in honey with blue Benedictin cheese to drink, glasses of Jerez (hair-eth), a sherry-like fortified Spanish wine that varies from muy dry to cough-syrup sweet. Complete dinners for $50 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average tapa $10. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm, bar till close. Licensed. Access: five steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN

Sunday

Bonjour Brioche

812 Queen E, at Degrassi, 416-406-1250, bonjourbrioche.com. Master baker Henri Feasson and partner Lori Feasson helm this long-running neighbourhood café famed for its all-day Continental breakfasts and definitive Gallic charm. Bonus: every Saturday and Sunday Feasson bakes his signature giant brioche. Warning: weekend lineups! Best: from the ever-changing chalkboard lineup, prosciutto, Gorgonzola and arugula pesto quiche specials like Torta Rustica paired with designer greens in basil vinaigrette and a house-baked baguette savoury flans like tomato, basil and chèvre or classic onion ‘n’ Gruyère smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with rosti, creamed horseradish and caviar Croque Madame on brioche layered with ham, Gruyère and a fried egg. Complete brunches for $22 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of house red. Average main $9. Open for brunch Sunday 8 am to 4 pm. Licensed. Cash only. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN

Queen Mother

208 Queen W, at Duncan, 416-598-4719, queenmothercafe.ca. The doyenne of Queen West perseveres after more than 30 years, dishing up savvy Thai specialties and vegetarian mains in definitive digs. High-backed booths, cool tunes and a private backyard deck make this the perfect spot for a cheap first date. Best: to start, St. Viateur bagels with cream cheese and lox follow with legendary Cosmic veggie burgers of high-protein grains, nuts, herbs and mushrooms in a whole-wheat pita dressed with spiked mayo crepe du jour with home fries, salad and double-smoked bacon. Open for brunch Sunday 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN

Saving Grace

907 Dundas W, at Bellwoods, 416-703-7368. When owner/chef Monica Miller’s deceptively anonymous space – white-on-white walls, minimalist decor, 20 seats tops – opened in 2000, friends thought she was mad to choose this dreary inner-city strip. Now that Dundas West is the snazziest address around, they join the queue with the rest of us at her charming café for straightforward brekkies priced to go easy on the pocketbook. Warning: from the menu, “There are no substitutions, be pleasant to your server, Saving Grace girls are always right and you may be asked to change seats.” Best: corn cakes with chili-fired mango chutney and greens dressed with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette chalkboard specials like frittata with fresh corn, butternut squash and Gouda, or pizza-style phyllo tarts layered with spring asparagus, new potato and sun-dried tomato waffle du jour with real maple syrup, or very plain scrambled eggs with pumpernickel toast and oven-roasted home fries French toast with caramelized bananas in maple syrup. Complete meals for $18 per person, including tax, tip and a latte. Average main $9. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms upstairs. Rating: NNNN

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